Caught Inside

Chapter Ten

"Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone...Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace." – Colossians 3:13, 15

A gust of offshore wind blew Alana's white-blonde hair over her shoulders just as she felt herself get picked up by the crest of the wave. Instinct immediately took over, and she hopped to her feet and let momentum carry her downwards. Her shortboard bounced over a few rough patches of water before she reached the smooth trough, where she turned and began a series of connected maneuvers. When her wave closed out moments later, she coasted in front of the whitewater and lay down on her belly.

Reaching back with one hand, Alana fumbled for her leash until she was able to unstrap it from her ankle. She grasped it in one hand while the wave propelled her towards shore. Only when she reached shallow water did she stand up, tuck her surfboard underneath her arm, and trudge onto shore.

It had been a short but productive surf, with the waves a playful size and the water still fairly warm for autumn. Alana had hung out with the gang and the rest of the Ventura High surf team in the lineup—except for Cole, who was still suspended for the remainder of the week. School was starting in thirty minutes, however, so everyone in the water was scrambling to catch a wave into shore.

Alana, already ahead of the game, continued her jog towards the showers, squeezing out her hair as she went. She placed her board on one of the racks outside, grabbed her backpack that contained her change of clothes, and darted inside a stall. As she undressed, she heard the occasional chitchat and laughter of other girls inside the showers getting ready for school. When Alana emerged five minutes later, she was dressed in jeans and a tank top. She slipped into her favorite pair of flip-flops and squeezed out her hair one last time. As soon as she opened the stall door, she spotted Maya combing her hair by the row of sinks.

Her heart immediately went out to her friend. Alana remembered their conversation from a few days ago with the gang, when Maya had told them the news about her father. He was a person that Alana, Jake, Koa, and the twins had heard very little about, so the fact that he had suddenly appeared in their friend's life was rather astonishing. Alana knew that Maya was handling the situation the best she could, but she also needed support from her closest friends.

"Hey," Alana said brightly. "Did you catch a wave in?"

Maya groaned and jutted out her bottom lip in frustration. "No, the ocean went flat, and half the team had to paddle in."

"Oh, man!"

"Well, the good news is, when I checked my phone I realized I got ten new followers!" She triumphantly waved her device in the air. "Trevor's video has worked wonders."

"Ooh, someone's popular." Alana fished out her own cell phone and checked her notifications. Her eyes widened when she realized she had fifteen new followers and a few messages. "Hey, you're right," she said. "I guess we're famous now."

Maya snorted. "Yeah, semi-famous. No one on the surf team has even seen our video, I bet."

Alana slapped her hand down on the counter. "That's it!" she exclaimed. "We totally need to show Coach Kerr the film!"

"And more importantly," Maya added, "we need to get it circulating in Ventura County. Trevor's film has only been showing in San Clemente, remember?"

Alana nodded. "Good point. I'll text Trevor right now."

Her fingers flew across the screen, and less than a minute later she received a reply. Her eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"What?" Maya asked, noticing her friend's expression in the mirror.

"Trevor's going to work on getting the video into more surf shops, but in the meantime he says I should get a public email," Alana explained.

"Public email," Maya echoed. "For, like, inquiries? Social media?"

She shrugged. "I guess. Do you think it's a good idea?"

"Yeah, probably. After all, we're becoming more and more famous every day, right?"

Alana rolled her eyes. "Right." Her phone screen lit up with a new notification, and she laughed out loud when she realized she had yet another follower on social media. "Right," she said with more emphasis.

On the way to her third period English class, Alana couldn't help but keep her thoughts focused on Maya as the students around her chatted anxiously about the plane crash. News reporters were still going off about the accident, and it was unclear what mechanical problem had caused the plane to go down. Pilots and passengers alike were being interviewed, and Alana was thankful that news people hadn't swarmed Maya's father yet.

On entering the classroom, Alana plopped down into her usual seat and pulled out her textbook. She opened a notebook and grabbed a few pens, one of which she uncapped and began twirling between two fingers. Moments later, Koa walk in the door without making eye contact.

Alana's stomach twisted into a knot. What was up with him? She knew things had been a little awkward ever since their conversation about Cole, but couldn't Koa just get over the fact that he was jealous? Alana sighed and closed her eyes. She knew the right thing to do was to uphold their friendship rather than tear it down, so she reluctantly stuck her hand in the air, waved, and called his name. He offered a half-smile and took a seat in the empty desk next to her.

He rummaged through his backpack for a few moments, but when the awkward silence became unbearable, he finally mumbled, "Pretty fun waves this morning."

It was the first words he had spoken to her in a long time. "Yeah," Alana said hesitantly. "They could have been better, though."

He nodded. "Agreed."

Well, it was a start. Alana cleared her throat. "I've been meaning to talk to you," she said.

He continued pulling out supplies from his backpack, keeping his eyes downcast.

"I'm not really sure if I'm making too big of a deal here," she rambled, "but I feel like we're not that close anymore, you know?"

Her statement definitely struck a nerve, as Koa paused for a moment, his face slack. "Right," he said finally. "We're not."

"Well, don't you want to fix that?"

He carefully opened the cover of his English notebook and placed it squarely in front of him. Without taking his eyes off the paper, he said, "I'm not sure if we can."

"Why not?"

Alana realized her tone had risen sharply, attracting the attention of some of their classmates, so she quickly lowered her voice. "I mean, we should be able to fix this. We've been best friends for years."

Koa swallowed. "Not after...you know."

Alana blushed slightly, remembering the moment at Trestles. "But you shouldn't let that get in the way of our friendship," she pressed.

"That's one way to get a guy friend-zoned," he said emotionlessly.

Her face fell. "Sorry. I didn't mean it like—"

"I know, Alana." His words were bitter. "But you have to see it from my perspective: I wanted to be more than friends, and you didn't. Then immediately after you told me you weren't looking for a relationship, you move on to a different guy."

Alana bit back an angry retort. "Oh, come on. You're being dramatic. And Cole and I aren't even dating."

Koa raised an eyebrow. "I'm just telling it how it is."

She didn't have an answer for that. When their English teacher stood up from his desk and began quieting the students, Alana crossed her arms and stole one more glance in Koa's direction. He never looked her way for the rest of the class.